We are young
by words0712
Summary: "They have lights inside their eyes." Dead Hearts-Stars


**We are young**

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><p><em>"Time can take it's toll on the best of us<em>

_Look at you, you're growing old so young"_

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><p>The smell of soup and freshly opened bingo cards engulfed Carly, Sam and Freddie as they stepped inside the Home of the Elderly in downtown Seattle. The place was expectantly packed with old people, some were chatting, playing card games and some are just happily contented by just staring at the window.<p>

"Can anyone slap me in the face and tell me why on cheesecake are we here again?" Sam groaned and looked at Freddie and said "And you're not the one I'm talking to, Benson." And she glared at Freddie and looked at Carly who was looking at both of them smiling.

"You and Carly both agreed to help my mom" Freddie snapped.

"Did I just say that I wasn't talking to you?" Sam shot a glare at Freddie.

"Come on guys, let's not fight here. I mean look at them, they are all really sweet" Carly inhaled and continued "Sam, you actually agreed, well, Kind of"

"Yeah, because my mom offered you fat cakes and ham as a reward "Freddie stated.

"Well then where are these goodies?" She sprawled her hands sarcastically.

"Surprise! You ate them all up even before we got here" Freddie glared.

"Why'd you, Frednumbs!" Sam was about to grabbed Freddie's jacket, but Carly stepped in before it gets worse and said "Okay, let's not fight here because they might just throw us out faster than we can say grungy old people"

Both Sam and Freddie stood there ground and Freddie said "Fine"

Sam rolled her eyes and said "Let's just get this over with"

"Right, so who's yours?" Carly asked Sam

"Well, let see" she reached into her back pocket and unfolded a crumpled paper and read it out loud "Ebony Smersh"

"That's an odd name" Freddie raised his brows.

"Well, you're the odd one" Sam snapped and she continued "Well, since I don't want to stay here or near Freddie I'm going to find my old lady" Sam stated and turned her heels and walk away from the two of them and said "See you later-ish!"

Freddie groaned and said "I should have warned mom about Sam's craving for those types of foods or any kinds of foods"

"I think your mom is fully aware of that, Freddie" Carly Tapped him on his shoulder and she started walking.

Freddie ran towards her and said "Well, did she also know how terrible she treats me?"

Carly turned around and looked at Freddie there faces inches away and she said "Sam has always been like that to you since day one, so get used to it" and she turned around with a smirk on her face.

"But..." Freddie's words were tangled inside her mouth, and he tries his best to speak.

"Come on, we better find ours, Sam might leave without us" She called out.

"Yeah, sure" Freddie was snapped back into reality as he again catch up on her.

"I think we should split up" Carly suggested.

"Yeah, we should. I mean no-"he stopped and Carly looked at him and asked "Are you alright?"

"Yeah" he shot up and continued "I'll go this way"

Carly nodded and said "Okay, see you later" and she went to the other side of the room to ask assistance.

Freddie's face was plastered with a goofy smirk on his face when an elderly man hit him lightly on his shoulder and said "Young man, if you're going to stare at you friend like that, I might think you like her"

Freddie looked down at the man who was an inch smaller than him and asked "Do you know a man named Jake Winshlitt?"

"Oh, that crazy sauce, his always outside sitting on one of the benches but he usually sit near that mangrove tree, near the dormitories" the old man said while grabbed his hat and placed it on his side.

Freddie smiled and said "Thank you, I'm Freddie Benson by the way"

"Freddie Benson, the name of the sheep I once had. Nice meeting you kid" and he smiled back and turned away from Freddie toward his bingo friends.

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><p>Carly walked through a corridor as she looks at every numbers written on the door and when she found the door and the correct number she knocked twice and when she opened it she saw an old lady whose eyes were glued on the window frame and she said in a small voice "Hello?"<p>

The old Lady turned around and smiled at Carly and said "Yes, Dear?"

"I'm Carly Shay, I'm here as a volunteer at the Shelter and I was assigned to you, are you Tiffany Torton?"

The lady nodded and said "You kids are all so nice for coming here and helping us out"

Carly smiled and said "Is there anything that I could do for you?"

The lady looked at Carly and shook her head and she said "But you can sit here and talk to me"

Carly nodded and said "Of course"

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><p>Freddie walked out at the courtyard, he fixed his vision and saw a guy, sitting near a tree wearing a blue jacket while drinking a cup of coffee, and Freddie approached the guy and asked "Excuse me? Are you Mr. Jake Winshlitt?"<p>

The old man turned his head towards Freddie and looked at him blankly, Freddie on the other hand waited for an answer but when he didn't get his response he saw the name on the right side of the old mans coat that says "My Name is: Jake Winshlitt" Freddie smiled and said "I'm Freddie Benson. I'm here to help you out on anything you need, so if there is something that you want me to do or get for you, I'll be in your service"

The man turned away his head from Freddie and said "Come sit"

Freddie did what the old man said and asked "Beautiful day isn't it?"

The man nodded and said "I always sit here because this is the only place that I could remember one single memory in my entire life."

Freddie looked at the man and asked "I see, it must be something important"

"Oh yes, it is the first time that I felt Love." The man smiled.

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><p>Carly sat at the stool near the old lady's bed and she asked "So, how is you day Mrs. Torton?"<p>

The old lady inhaled and said "It is always the usual my dear. I sit here and watch the day passed by but sometimes I go out and play with my friends, do you know Bingo?"

Carly nodded and asked curiously "Do you go outside?"

"We always have daily walks outside, so I always get my sunshine needs"

Carly giggled a little and asked "So why do you love sitting here in your room so much?"

The old lady smiled and said "Because this is the place where I could just sit and wonder through my memories back when I was as energetic and fun just like you"

"I see, so you must have a very wonderful teenage life, if I'm not mistaken" Carly stated

"Oh yes, It was one of the happiest part of my life" The old lady smiled at Carly

"Can you tell me one thing that you couldn't forget about your teenage years?" Carly asked.

Mrs. Torton looked delighted as she said "It was the time I met this friend, who was also in my neighborhood and probably my first real love"

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><p>Freddie smiled at the thought and asked "So, this girl that you're talking about was she also your age?"<p>

"Yes she was, she was the finest and most beautiful girl I have seen in my whole entire life and I knew that it was her when I first saw her."

"So how did you two meet?' Freddie asked.

"Me and my Family moved into this little neighborhood and there are only few kids who actually stays there so when I knew about it, I started to hate the place but then there she was. I saw her, she was sitting on the front porch of their house while I was carrying my bag and I knew she was looking at me but when my eyes met hers, I instantly looked away."

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><p>Carly smiled at the thought and asked "So how did you met him?"<p>

"Well, I didn't meet him instantly but I would always catch him looking at me at their front window and when he sees me looking back at him, he would hurriedly close the blinds. I would say he was a really shy boy."

"That is so cute" Carly giggled.

"I could still remember the time when they first moved in, he was carrying this box, slightly larger than him and while he was walking through their front porch we caught each others eyes and he instantly dropped the box and ran inside without picking up the things that fell out of the box."

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><p>"Well did she like you as well?" Freddie asked while he fixed his jacket and tucked his hands inside his jeans pocket.<p>

The old man smirked and said "Now that's the problem"

Freddie felt awkward about the answer and said "I'm really sorry to hear that"

"You don't have to, it's okay" and he smiled at Freddie and continued "But you know young man, I didn't give up that easy. We were young, so I persuade and asked and plead and did all sorts of antics just to get her and I never stopped because I know that she's the one so I would never stop no matter what"

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><p>"Oh, he was a persistent young man as we grew up, he keeps on asking and asking all sort off stuff" The lady was laughing at the thought and Carly couldn't help but laugh along as well and she asked "What was the most common thing that he would ask you?"<p>

"If I liked him" the lady smiled looking at Carly.

"So what did you say?" Carly asked a little too excited.

The old lady smiled at her and she said "No"

"Oh, why is that?" Carly asked her smile turned into a frown.

"Well I was young, and I really don't know what to say to those kinds of situations back then, but I could honestly say that he was pretty sure of it"

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><p>"So you were pretty sure of it?" Freddie asked.<p>

"Yes, I was. I definitely was" The old man gave a hearty laugh.

Freddie laughed as well and asked "So what happened after all the pursuing?"

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><p>"We just became good pals, Best Friends actually" The old lady stated as she grabs the pillow and fix its position on the bed.<p>

"Well, that is really sweet of you" Carly smiled and continued "You didn't just let him go"

The lady smirked and said "He was really nice, a very good friend, gentleman, and cares about me so much, I couldn't let him go" and she looked at Carly and asked "Would you let go of a person who treats you like that?"

"No" Carly said simply and then a picture of Freddie instantly appeared inside her head.

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><p>"Well That is actually a good thing, at least she didn't shove you away from her life because you were too persistent or pushy" Freddie tried to cheer the old man.<p>

"Of course it is. I didn't see it as bad thing. She might not like me during those times but it was a burning flame inside of me that keeps me from holding on to what I believe in when I first saw her" the old man laughed.

Freddie let out a little laugh and said "Yeah" and he look from a distance and pictured himself standing on a stool while he watches Carly open the door just in front of them as she helps his brother move the boxes inside and when Carly swirled her head to look at the door in front of them he stumbled and fell to his feet because he thought Carly saw him and because of that He fell in love with a girl at a very early age. "Literally fell in love" he whispered to himself and let a small chuckle escape his mouth

The old man thought Freddie was talking to him and asked "What boy? Did you say anything?"

Freddie shook his head and said "Oh no, please continue" He smiled.

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><p>"We actually became part of the same club, when we were in High school" The old lady sniffed<p>

"What was it?" Carly asked, a little too focus realizing there was something in the story that she wants to know.

"We were both in theater" The lady scoffed.

"Wow" Carly said enthusiastically and she asked "Was he good?"

"As an actor?" The lady asked

Carly nodded.

The lady laughed and said "No, but he was good with lights and special effects. But he did try to act, it just that it didn't work out for him"

"Oh" Carly said.

The lady shook her head as her laugh died down and said" He actually said to me that the only reason why he joined the theater was because he doesn't fit at any club that was being offered in our school and his only choice is theater, and I knew that it was a lie."

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><p>"So you don't like theater?" Freddie asked<p>

"Oh no, I like it but special effects and lights were my talents" The old man simply stated

"Then why didn't you just join the AV club or something" Freddie wondered

"I could if I wanted to, but I didn't join"

"Why?" Freddie was all to confuse about how the old man answers his questions.

"If you were me, would you join the theater if you knew the girl you like is one of the best actresses in your school theater program?"

Freddie didn't answer quickly instead his head drifted to another memory, the first time he met Sam as Carly's best friend, he knew it wouldn't be easy working with her but she went through it, just to see Carly smile and happy was already a good remedy for Sam's unlimited insults.

"Boy?' The old man shrugged Freddie's shoulder

Freddie shook his head and looked at the old man and said "Yeah, I would join" and the old man smiled

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><p>"So what happens next?" Carly asked<p>

"It was fun, doing it, acting. It was really fulfilling, I get to meet a lot of people" The old Lady stated

Carly nodded her head and said "So? Was there any other boys in your life other than you best friend?"

The lady gave a hearty laugh and said "There actually were, I don't want to bragged, but there were a plenty of them"

Carly giggled and said "I doubt it; you are a very beautiful woman"

"Oh Thank you, young lady" The old lady touched Carly's hand

"So? Did you date all of them?"

Oh no, that would be tiring, wouldn't it?" She laughed and continued "But I did date a few of them, the ones that I thought I was sure of"

"So who was the lucky guy?" Carly asked a little to excited

"Well, I dated a jock, a bad boy, a smart boy, a co actor in our theater program and all sorts of them, but nothing came close to being the right guy for me" the old lady gasped

"I'm sorry" Carly said

"But you know what's really weird?" the old lady turned her head and looked outside the window and continued "He was always there to get me back up to my feet again after all the break ups that I've been through"

Carly stared at the old lady for a couple of seconds after her thoughts were clouded by the scene during the Party in LA that She, Sam and Freddie crashed in, just to find out that his ex-boyfriend Steven was cheating on her and how Freddie wanted so badly to teach him a little lesson.

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><p>"She dated a dozens of jerk, I would tell you that" The old man scoffed at Freddie<p>

"She didn't realize that all of them were jerks?" Freddie asked

"Apparently she didn't" He said and coughed a little and continued "At first they were nice to her but then suddenly they changed and become big fat jerk faces that always try to make her cry"

"You could have given them a good one two punch in the face" Freddie suggested eagerly

"I told her that, but she always think that they could beat me up" he smiled

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><p>"But those time passed and we all grew up from those heart aches and we became more focus in our studies since we were now both in our senior year" The old lady inhaled.<p>

"I see" Carly said

The lady breathed out and said "And that was also the time that his feeling for me started to drift away"

Carly looked at the old lady's face and saw that her eyes frowned simultaneously with her mouth and she asked "Did he tell you?"

The old lady shook her head and said "No, but I could sense it and he also started dating other girls"

"But you said you didn't like him" Carly asked carefully

"I didn't say I don't like him, I was just not that ready back then" she gave Carly a smile and she continued "After I heard that she was dating one of my co-actress, I felt a tinge of jealousy engulfed my whole body, I felt like he was leaving me. I felt that I was losing him but then it hit me, he wasn't mine before so why do I feel all bad when his with someone now. It just doesn't add up"

Carly didn't answer but instead she held the old lady's hand and both of them looked at the window and Carly thought of something that was almost as if it was the same feeling she felt when she saw Sam and Freddie kissed during the lock-in in Ridgeway few months ago.

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><p>"But you know what kid, I also almost gave up." He smiled<p>

Freddie looked at him and asked "I thought you said you would never give up on her no matter what"

"You know what, when you start to like someone, you feel like it's always your obligation to make them happy regardless of your feelings, and I've been doing that since day one. I accepted things that would make her smile and I didn't mind my feelings at all, I smiled when she told me that she and his boyfriend kissed, I helped her with the gift that she was supposed to give to his other boyfriend who broke up with her just as she was about to give it to him, and I accepted the fact that no matter what I do I couldn't be as close as those jerks that she dated"

Freddie looked at the old man and he was surprise to hear those exact words that he has been harboring for almost half of his life, he felt like the old man was his heart and it was talking to him, sharing him all the things that his too afraid to voice out.

Freddie didn't realize that the old man was looking at him with a smile on his face and when Freddie notices it he quickly shot up and asked "Is there something wrong?"

The old man shook his head and said "Nothing, your just a very interesting kid"

"Oh, anyway what happens next?" Freddie asked still wondering why the old man was looking at him like that.

"I started dating girls, I discovered things that I didn't knew I had in me back then" The old man was laughing now.

"What are those things that you discovered?" Freddie asked curiously

"That I can actually ask out girls" His laughter a little too loud

Freddie laughed along and said "Wow that must felt good, right?"

"Yes, you certainly are correct" The old man said firmly while he smiles

"So? How many girls did you date back then?"

"Oh, a few good looking young ladies" He laughed

Freddie raised his brows while he smiled and asked "Was there any particular girl that you actually like?"

"Well there was one, she was also in our theater program" The man looks at Freddie

"What happened?" Freddie asked

"I would describe our relationship as a summer love in one winter month, it was short lived but it was probably the closest feeling of love I felt since I met my first love" The old man smiled as he look afar.

"Why didn't you last?" Freddie asked puzzled

"Uncertain events happened and we just can't control our emotions handling those things, we knew we both love each other but even working it out is not the right answer, so we broke up" The old man smiled.

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><p>"But they broke up" The old lady stated<p>

"What happened?" Carly asked concern in her tone

"He only said that he couldn't keep up with her and it was not a very good idea to start dating when we know that our last year in high school should be memorable"

Carly smiled at what the old lady has said and she asked "So how did your last year go as highschoolers?"

"It was a bittersweet moment for all of my schoolmates, we did all the craziest things, we cried, we laughed, we stuff balloons with liquids that none of us could identify, we were all young and wild but all those things vanished when graduation came close."

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><p>"Oh the graduation ceremony, it was one of the saddest and happiest point of my life" The old man sniffed<p>

"Why? What happened?" Freddie inquired

"I finished High school that is something that I should be happy about right?" The old man looked at Freddie who nodded and he continued "But it was also the saddest thing for I knew after that night she would be living for her college examination and I could never see her again and it scared me a whole lot"

"But I mean you could write to each other or maybe see each other during holidays" Freddie suggested eagerly as if it could help

"We were both on different situations back then, she got into Theater in New York while me, I thought I would go to MIT, I mean I passed but something told me that I wanted to help our country, I wanted to become a soldier and so I did."

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><p>"He wanted to be a soldier, I was surprise. But I knew him so well, he was the man of his words and hard as I try I couldn't change his mind" The old lady's demeanor start to change, she was serious and Carly could see that sadness was taking over her weary eyes.<p>

"Did you actually try to change his mind?" Carly asked

The old lady shook her head and Carly caught a tear escape the old lady's eyes and she said "No, I was too weak, I was scared to tell him that I don't want him to do those things, I don't want him to get hurt and I was afraid that he might feel that I'm trying to control him, so I let him do what he want. I let it go"

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><p>"I was expecting her to grab my hand as I was leaving for the long trip, I thought she would tell me not to go, that she doesn't want me to get hurt, but she didn't, she let me go." The old man looks straight ahead as if he was talking to himself.<p>

Freddie looked at the man and noticed an energetic and happy young kid that he was back then but now he was feeble and weak with the lines of aging appearing on his face almost covering it.

"So what happens after that?" Freddie asked his eyes fixed on the old man

He didn't speak for a minute and Freddie thought he offended him but before he could change his question the old man let a small sound and said "We didn't see each other ever again, I was at war, and they said that I got knocked down on the head very hard during those time, I lost my memories and when I grew old I discovered the I had Alzheimer's and this is the only memory that miraculously got saved"

Freddie was dumbfound by the revelation that he got, he stuttered for a few second but when he found his voice he asked carefully "Do you remember her name or what she looks like?"

The old mans eyes looked from a distance and he said feebly "No"

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><p>"Maybe we could still find him, I mean do you know his name or what he looks like?" Carly asked trying to make thing brighter<p>

The old lady didn't move but she pursed her lips and let a small sob escape and said "His name is Jake Winshlitt and I already found him"

Carly's eyes lit up and said "Well if you want, me and my brother could drive you, do you know where he lives?"

The old lady stood up and walked slowly towards the window and she said "Even if he sees me I know he wouldn't remember me"

Carly got up to her sit and walked towards the old lady and said "You don't forget your first love"

The old lady wiped the tears in her eyes and opened the window and looked down below and said "that is not true young lady, anyone could forget there first love"

Carly didn't agree and she protested "No, You could never forget them, never."

The old lady grabbed Carly's hand and she looked at her in the eyes and she said "Dear, something's aren't always what we think they are, Things happen and what we know and believe that would always be there could be gone in just a fraction of moments and to whatever reason, we couldn't do anything about it"

Carly was trying to hold the frustration inside her chest, she didn't want to believe what the old lady said so she asked "Then give me one good reason why he wouldn't remember you, convince me"

The old Lady smiled and said "Alzheimer's"

Carly's shoulder fell down, a heavy feeling crashed through her stomach and she said "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

The old lady stopped Carly wit a smile on her face; she then turned to the window and said "Remember when you asked me why I love to sit inside my room and my answer was because this is the only place that I could reminisce and feel happy"

Carly nodded and said "Yes"

The old Lady then looked down again at the two figures sitting under the shade of a mangrove tree and she smiled and said "I think that you kids are really nice to be helping and cheering us and coming out here, is that your friend over there talking to Jake?"

Carly looked down and when she got a good look at the two male figures. She could see an old man with a hunched back sitting and talking to a young man whom Carly could easily recognize.

Carly felt a whirlwind of emotion engulfed her and embrace her tightly as if she was about to lose her breath when Freddie suddenly looked up and met her gaze. They both fell into a trance and for a few seconds they had the feeling that they were little kids again and Freddie was looking at his peephole and Carly would look at the apartment door, unintentionally looking at each others eyes and it wasn't a different feeling to what was happening right now. They were both caught looking at each other, but now they both knew that this will only be the eyes that they will look at till they grow old. The only thing that is left for them to do is to speak up.

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><p><em>"I can say what you want me to"<em>

_ "I'll make it all up for you"_

_ "I'm still in love with you"_

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><p><em><em>**A/N: Okay! so this story is inspired by the song Hearts by Stars, I first heard the song when Miranda tweeted about it. I have no idea that a band so beautiful could actually exist and after listening to their songs and playing them on repeat for days, I got hooked!**

**-I think I need to explain the last part, those are lines from the song. The first line (one on the left) is being said by Carly, the Third line (the one on the right) is being said by Freddie and the one in the middle is said by both Freddie and Carly simultaneously. **

**To: EccentricSuperchick, Thank you for beta reading my other story which I promise I would publish this weekend!PROMISE. **

** : Themarchgirl, I'm really sorry if I couldn't wait, I really wanted this story to be publish, because the longer it stays here on my laptop unpublish, the more it makes me not to want to publish it. (I don't know maybe its a habit of mine) but I would still love to hear your input on my story. so if your still interested I would be really glad if you could still beta read this story, Thank you!**

**And Lastly, To the reader(s). **Thank you so much for reading. Reviews are very welcome. ****


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